Monday, August 23, 2010

Rainy Day Randomness

It's been seven days since we pulled into the driveway last Monday, after almost two weeks away...relaxing, reading, soaking up the sun. At first, the "re-entry" was fairly easy. Then, all of a sudden, life began to happen.

On Wednesday, Warren returned to work to hear that the father of one of our parishioners had died. So, he began the process of planning a memorial service...

Our nephew, who has been suffering from Krohn's Disease, had a bad reaction to the steroid treatment he'd been administered. Lots of questions and worry about all that, especially as he's getting ready to become a Junior in high school...

Our son, who was an absolute delight and banner child on vacation, disappointed us greatly with his bad choice one afternoon when he was left alone. It wasn't life threatening, and it didn't hurt anyone. Nonetheless, it made us question our trust...

My sister was supposed to come visit for the weekend, to celebrate my birthday with me. The morning she was to drive out, she called to say she was sick and couldn't come...

Part of us was happy about that, because we can't afford to be sick right now. But to me, it would have been nice to have somebody here for my birthday. I love my birthday...

...Warren had to go to Springfield on Friday for a meeting. He called in the morning to see if we wanted to go see the Worcester Tornadoes play that night. "Sure! Great idea!" So, we went to the game (which they won in the bottom of the 8th) and saw the Friday Night Fireworks that went along with our ticket. Great show!!...


...while we were there, Warren got a text from our friends' daughter, Laynie, that she had committed to Holy Cross College (in Worcester) for Volleyball in the fall of 2011. We were so excited to hear that news! We started figuring out how we could get tickets and re-learn how to score volleyball before she got here...

...Saturday, my birthday arrived. There was a card from my brother and one from a parishioner in the mail. My mother-in-law had sent a package earlier in the week, which I was saving. Warren was doing the funeral Saturday morning, and Jonathan had decided to caddy, so I spent the morning quietly by myself. There's nothing like reading the Telegram & Gazette, drinking coffee, and eating little slices of hard salami to make a person happy! I was having a great day...

...Jonathan called for a ride home. We stopped by the Anniversary Open House at Tatnuck Pet Store on the way back. I had a free hot dog; Jonathan had some popcorn. We picked up free samples of dog food, and talked to the guy about what kind of fish Jonathan should consider to live with his shark in his tank...

...Warren was home when we got back. He and Jonathan went off "to do some monkey business." I had a 3 p.m. manicure...

...shortly after I got home with my beautifully polished nails, I received a text message from my sister, Amy: "Michael has a broken pelvis and will have surgery tomorrow." I read it to Warren and he said, "CALL HER RIGHT NOW!"...

...Michael had been broadsided at a big intersection on the west side of Denver, near where they live in Golden. Someone ran a red light and T-Boned him. Their 10-year-old son, Tony, was in the back seat (thankfully on the passenger side of the car) and seemed to be okay, but was taken by ambulence to the hospital with his dad...



...by the time Amy got a call and figured out where the accident was and arrived there, Michael and Tony had already been transported. The police asked her to stay and give them information regarding insurance, etc. She still did not know if Tony had been hurt, and did not know the extent of Michael's injuries. She was frantic, to say the least. When she left, she headed for St. Anthony Hospital - not too far away - and rushed into the ER...

..This is a brand new facility, and apparently they aren't even open for patients yet. She found out that her loved ones were at the St. A's Central, several miles to the east. As she was rushing out of the ER there, the security guard stopped her and said, "I need you to calm down. It wouldn't be good for you to be in an accident on your way to Central, would it?" Poor Amy! She didn't know what to do but get in her car and drive...

...She arrived at St. A's Central and rushed into Tony's room in the ER. When he saw her, they both started crying. (This is the part I can really relate to...and cry about...) She was so happy to see him, to see him whole and acknowledging her and wanting her to love him...

...Michael was in a nearby room. The diagnosis is a broken pelvis, which will require surgery (now scheduled for 8/24). After surgery, he will require at least 8 weeks of non-weight-bearing on his hip, which pretty much means he can't even begin rehab until at least eight weeks after his surgery is completed. It's going to be a long road...

...Warren fixed us a great meal for my birthday: Rib Eye steaks with roasted new potatoes and green beans, fresh corn on the cob, and Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream for dessert! I opened my presents after dinner (just like I used to do as a kid!) and it was a happy time, spiced with worry for Amy and Michael and Tony...

...Sunday was sort of the real "back to work" day for Warren, what with having to preach and all. It's really draining, sometimes even for me. I can't explain it. Being a Rector's wife is interesting. Yes, it's interesting...

...Sunday afternoon we were all so tired! We sat around, and then Warren and Jonathan went upstairs to watch a movie. I came in towards the end, right during the really stressful part. When it was over, we were all exhausted...

...Warren fixed another awesome meal. We had downloaded "Date Night" to our NetFlix and decided to spend the evening watching that. I almost immediately fell asleep after it began! By the time it was over, I had "napped" and could not get to sleep for the life of me. So I sat up and played Hearts on my computer for a couple of hours...

...This morning, we all went out to breakfast to the Miss Worcester Diner, a.k.a. Miss Woo. What a great breakfast! I won't tell you what we had, but will say that we all got some exercise of some sort this afternoon, despite the rain...

...I got cabin fever after being inside for almost two days due to the rain, so took myself out of the house and went bumming. It was a good outing! Picked up some things we needed, and a couple of things I'll probably need sometime...

...another great meal tonight: Italian Sausage Panini with roasted cauliflower and fresh, green salad...

...then the phone rang. Our friends from Austin are in such deep distress. Their daughter has made a really bad choice in behavior, which could ruin her chances for a college future with scholarships of any kind. Warren and I are heartbroken for them...

...and exhausted from the week. Thank goodness we were refreshed when it began, otherwise we'd be unable to function. This week has made me realize how important it is for people to get away from the day-to-day and really take time to relax and not feel pressure from outside sources. We felt like that's what we did on our vacation. Thank goodness we did...

...tomorrow will be a nother day. Jonathan starts his high school orientation tomorrow; I go to work at St. Andrew's; Warren will be in the church office...

...welcome back to the madness! Here we go again...

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